“Bye, Viper.” Bain made his way toward the car and climbed behind the wheel. He didn’t linger and pulled away from the curb, heading home.
They were alive, safe, and together.
“I didn’t anticipate what went down in there,” said Bain.
“Which part?”
“All of it. I expected Michael to see your strength, your beauty. He was an asshole. You never have to worry about him again.”
“And Lisa?”
He sighed. His heart ached for his woman’s pain. This was the last thing he wanted her to go through. Her tears meant more to him than anything else. The moment she cried, it was like he’d failed at keeping her happy. “I’m sorry.”
“That man is a monster. Why didn’t you just kill him?” she asked.
He chuckled. “I was going to, but Boss is the top boss because he makes sure everyone else is in hell. I pull that trigger, and Boss dies at my hand, and it will be a matter of days if not hours before I join him. I’d be hunted to the ends of the earth.”
“You’re kidding, right? There’s no way that would happen. He’d be dead.”
Bain took her hand, pressing a kiss to her knuckles. “Killer of Kings would live on. That’s why he’s the strongest and most powerful. There is no limit to what Boss will do.”
It was why he needed to keep Scarlett far away from Boss, just in case the fucker had a change of heart.
Chapter Nine
When Scarlett saw Bain’s house come into view, she felt an instant sense of ease. If only the whole world could disappear, leaving just the two of them in this little piece of paradise. Bain might be used to his unorthodox lifestyle, but she was still in shock. How could she ever feel comfortable with constant death and danger?
They pulled onto the long gravel drive to the old farmhouse. It was a simple brick two-storey with unkempt lawn, but it was homey and inviting. When he turned off the ignition, silence settled in. She realized neither of them had spoken the entire drive home. Her thoughts were scattered in so many directions.
“What will happen to Michael?” she asked.
“Boss will handle everything. It’s what he does.”
She nodded. It was hard to get the vision of her ex’s dead body out of her mind, even though she felt a newfound peace knowing he was gone. The only way for her to stay sane was to convince herself Michael deserved his fate—he’d killed the innocent baby growing inside her.
“You shot your boss. Why didn’t he shoot back? There were four of them.”
“I have to remind myself that fucker is even human. Maybe he doesn’t feel pain,” said Bain, his hands squeezing the steering wheel. “I don’t like how he let me off so easy.”
“He must see your value.”
Bain took a deep breath and got out of the car. She chased after him as he entered the house.
“Who were all those men? Did you know them?” she asked. Scarlett had a feeling Bain didn’t want to talk about this, but she couldn’t just pretend nothing happened. It helped her to talk things out. She had so many questions.
“Viper was the one I told you about, the one I grew up with. He’s the only person I’d have to think twice about before killing. He wanted to make sure I didn’t do anything stupid because he was the one to put a good word in for me at Killer of Kings. Maybe it wasn’t such a bad thing that he showed up. When it comes to you, I seem to jump the gun.”
“He loves you. I could see it in his eyes.”
“I wouldn’t go that far,” he said. “But out of the five of them, he’d be the least likely to pull the trigger.”
“What about the others?”
“I know Boss and his new right-hand man, Killian. I haven’t seen the other two before, but I’ve only met a fraction of the people working for Killer of Kings.”
He braced both hands on the kitchen counter, his back to her. She put one hand over his. “Will everything be okay?” she asked.
His mood seemed to shift, as if he realized how distant he’d become. Bain smiled as he turned around. “I’m sorry, baby.” He held her head against his chest, his other arm keeping her close. “This must be scary for you. I keep forgetting you’re not used to any of this shit.”